Tag Archives: Dream Act

Jose Antonio Vargas has been touted as a hero by immigration activists for his courage to admit publicly that he is “undocumented.” The problem, as Lou Dobbs so eloquently points out, is that “undocumented” is just a fancy word for “illegal.”

Jose Antonio Vargas has been making the rounds on the talk show circuit promoting his new book and is garnering a wealth of attention… while breaking federal laws in the process.

Vargas, according to his own mini-autobiography published in the New York Times in June 2011, arrived in America at the age of 12 when his mother shipped him off to live with his grandparents who had immigrated legally from the Philippines. Vargas’ grandfather, “Lolo,” obtained fraudulent documents for him so he could travel and then attend school in the San Francisco Bay area. He remained unknowing of the fraud for 4 years.

“One day when I was 16, I rode my bike to the nearby DMV office to get my driver’s permit…” writes Vargas. “But when I handed the clerk my green card as proof of US residency, she flipped it around, examining it. ‘This is fake,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t come back here again.'”

Like any other teenager unaware of the situation his mother and grandparents had bestowed him, he was confused and proceeded to ask for an explanation from Lolo, only to learn that the document was in fact falsified and he was living in the United States illegally.

Vargas says he faced many challenges trying to assimilate and become as American as possible. He wanted to perfect English and lose his accent. He wanted to fit in and get a job in America. He again leaned on Lolo.

“Using the fake passport, we went to the local Social Security Administration office and applied for a Social Security number and card. It was, I remember, a quick visit. When the card came in the mail, it had my full, real name, but it also clearly stated: “Valid for work only with I.N.S. authorization.”

When I began looking for work, a short time after the D.M.V. incident, my grandfather and I took the Social Security card to Kinko’s, where he covered the “I.N.S. authorization” text with a sliver of white tape. We then made photocopies of the card. At a glance, at least, the copies would look like copies of a regular, unrestricted Social Security card.”

The New York Times editors failed to ask for more details about this, but should have. Social Security cards are blue. They have a specific design on them. Covering a portion with white tape would most certainly distort the image to look completely fake. Perhaps his first few employers like Subway and the YMCA should also have done a bit more digging.

Nevertheless, the fraudulent card was getting so easy to use that Vargas admits after a while, he began checking the citizenship box on I-9 forms (one of the documents federally required of new employees to ensure legal citizenship/immigration status). He claims he was nervous about getting caught – so he understood it was wrong – but that he kept doing it anyway.

Vargas attended San Francisco State University on a scholarship that Vargas admits “was not concerned with immigration status.” He sought out avenues to avoid bringing attention to the fact that he was breaking the law on a daily basis.

In early 2002, Vargas sought the help of an immigration lawyer who told him that to become a legal US citizen, Vargas would have to return to the Philippines for 10 years and then return legally with documentation.

Apparently, as an adult, fully aware of the consequences of his actions, Vargas chose NOT to obey the law. In fact, he downright ignored it. What he did next can only be described as intentional defiance of state and federal laws with complete disregard for morality.

“…I spent an afternoon at The Mountain View Public Library, studying various states’ requirements. Oregon was among the most welcoming — and it was just a few hours’ drive north,” remembers Vargas.

Using a false permanent address, some fraudulent documents, a photocopied Social Security card and his college ID, Portland, Oregon gave Vargas a driver’s license.

“I knew what I was doing now, and I knew it wasn’t right. But what was I supposed to do?”

As justification for his crimes, Vargas basically whines, “I was paying state and federal taxes…”

Perhaps Vargas should remember that simply paying taxes doesn’t make you American, nor does it make your actions justified. Perhaps Vargas should also consider that he was and continues to benefit from the taxes paid just like legal US citizens. Roads, fire protection, a federal military, etc. have all been available to him regardless of his being unlawful.

Vargas claims the license meant a great deal to him because it allowed him to drive, travel by plane and work. What is he doing now? How is he able to make it to all those television interviews to promote his new book? If he is using that license (or a new one since that license was set to expire last year), should he not be stopped by the TSA when trying to board a plane? Or perhaps the television shows or stations are flying him by private jet? Still, it begs the question, “how has he not been arrested for repeatedly breaking the law and being so open about it?”

Vargas has worked as an employee for the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Huffington Post, all with the help of falsified documents. He has also likely been paid as a freelance writer/contributor and has made documentary films, which aren’t free. I wonder if he’s ever filled out a 1099 form and turned it in to the IRS by April 15th? If so, I wouldn’t believe its truthfulness.

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — AJC applauds President Obama’s announcement today of new Administration policy to stop deporting undocumented youth from the U.S. who would qualify for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

“President Obama’s decision will enhance educational opportunities for deserving students, level the playing field for all children, and bolster America’s role as a leader in the competitive global economy,” said Richard Foltin, AJC’s Director of National and Legislative Affairs.

There are an estimated 50,000-65,000 undocumented students who graduate from American high schools each year. “Many came to the U.S. at a young age, have grown up in American schools, developed American values, and are American in every sense except their citizenship,” said Foltin.

Following President Obama’s announcement today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin a process for granting “deferred action” to undocumented youth who are in the U.S. and would otherwise qualify for relief under the version of the DREAM Act passed by the House of Representatives in December 2010.

Eligible individuals – including but not limited to those who are currently in deportation proceedings – will be allowed to remain and work in the U.S. for a renewable two-year period.

“While granting deferred action to these students is an important step towards desperately needed reform of our immigration system, we will continue to advocate for legislation that establishes a permanent path to citizenship for these DREAM Act students,” said Foltin.

Citing a UCLA study that concluded that DREAM Act participants could contribute $1.4-$3.6 trillion to the U.S. economy during their working lives, Foltin continued, “These students are vital to our nation’s future. Allowing them to stay in the United States not only benefits them, but also enhances America’s rich, vibrant, and diverse culture.”

Since its founding in 1906, AJC has been a strong voice in support of fair and generous immigration policies that are consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect, while allowing the United States to implement its immigration laws and protect our national security.

The Obama administration’s latest flouting of the Constitution came today when it was announced that they will stop deporting illegal immigrants. If the illegals came to the country under the age of 16, and have led law-abiding lives since their arrival, the Obama administration will bypass Congress and grant work permits to illegals under the age of 30, providing they have been in the country for at least 5 continuous years, graduated from high school, served in the military or have a GED. Illegal immigrants meeting these requirements can apply for a two-year work visa, which has no limits on the number of times it can be renewed. The Obama administration claims this will not be a path towards citizenship, but allow illegal immigrants to work legally, without the fear of deportation.

This policy basically institutes the highly contentious DREAM Act, which would create a path towards citizenship for illegal immigrants who attended college or served in the military. The DREAM Act has come before Congress on multiple occasions, but has failed to pass.

This policy is ridiculous for two reasons. One, it is unconstitutional. All legislative powers in this country are granted to Congress, not the president. This new immigration policy is an edict – the president telling the rest of the government what they shall and shall not do. It is disturbingly dictatorial.

Secondly, the very premise on which the law rests is paradoxical. The policy grants work visas to illegal immigrants who have led law-abiding lives since their arrival in the country. They are illegal immigrants; their presence in the country is in itself a crime. Furthermore, this policy, which basically grants amnesty to illegal immigrants, will be nothing but a magnet, drawing more illegals into the country. This not only undermines the economy and undermines our national defense, but seriously hurts legal immigrants who come to this country, work hard and obey the laws, in the hopes that they can gain citizenship.

Tonight was the CNN/Tea Party GOP Presidential Candidate Debate in Florida.

Let’s talk about the positives.

As a viewer at home, this format was one of the best so far. It was very helpful to have the topic being discussed and the question printed so clearly at the bottom of the screen.

While Wolf Blitzer was not nearly as condescending as the hosts in the previous debate (Brian Williams, specifically), he left a lot to be desired. But what else can we expect from a left-leaning network?

Now let’s move on to why we are really here. The actual debate. Where, oh where, shall we begin?

Mitt Romney. He lost the nomination last time, so therefore, the GOP Establishment obviously feels like it’s “Mitt’s Turn” to be the nominee. Sorry, GOP Establishment, We The People have had enough of you caring more about who’s “turn” it is, rather than who the People want as their nominee! It’s no wonder why people have left the Republican Party in droves, and now identify themselves as Tea Party members, Independents, Conservatives, or some mixture of the the three.

Ron Paul was Ron Paul. There is no doubt what Ron Paul believes. You know who he is. He’s been exactly the same for the last 30 years. In debates, he’s also the same. He has a couple of moments where he shines brightly. In the very next second he crashed and burned. Tonight’s debate was the same as any other debate. Ron Paul shines brightly. He crashes and burns.

Moving on along.

Rick Santorum. As was the case in the last debate, you almost forget he’s a candidate until he’s asked a question. By the time the next question gets to him, you’ve forgotten him already.

Newt Gingrich had another good night. Last week was the now-infamous scolding of the MSNBC Debate moderators. In tonight’s debate, the former Speaker of The House stood out yet again. Unfortunately, while he has some really great points, is very knowledgable in our history and has a lot of great ideas, his demeanor comes across as very cranky. Speaker Gingrich should most definitely be a member of the elected President’s cabinet.

Herman Cain. Mr. Cain is, in many ways, exactly what this country needs! He is not a politician, he is a business man. He’s never held a political position, but has been very successful in the business world. While there are many positives about Mr. Cain, there are also a some negatives that have started to show through, in the course of these debates. In tonight’s debate, he clarified his stance on the Federal Reserve a bit better than he has previously, but he still did not come across strong enough on this issue.

Michele Bachmann. Before she entered the race for the presidency she was someone to watch. However, she continues to slide further and further from relevancy in this race. While tonight she fared a bit better than the previous debate, it was by a very, very, very slim margin. She’s hanging her hat on the fact that she was the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll, yet fails to realize that poll is not a determining factor in the actual election.

That brings us to the last candidate.

Rick Perry. While last week’s debate was an all-out brawl against the Governor of Texas because he dares to call Social Security what it is- a Ponzi Scheme, this week’s debate became the Gardasil attack. Governor Perry made it very clear that he made a mistake with this piece of legislation.

In 2007, Governor Perry issued a very controversial executive order mandating that girls in Texas receive the HPV vaccine. There was an opt-out option for parents in the original executive order. Later that same year, after much opposition from the citizens of Texas, Governor Perry signed into law a bill that would undo his executive order.

9-14-11 Editing to add a correction to the original article: Governor Perry did not actually sign the law, stating:

“Rather than allowing this issue to be held captive one more day by legislative politics and the inevitable posturing that will ensure during a veto override debate, I have decided to let it become law without my signature. It is time to move this issue from the political arena to the court of public opinion where real lives are at st[ake], and it is time to do so without delay.”

continuing with the original article:

In tonight’s debate, Governor Perry was asked directly if he would make a different decision now, if he had it to do all over again. Without hesitation he said that his decision had been wrong, and he would not make the same decision again. He added that in matters of life, he will alwayserr on the side of life.

There are those who use this one wrong decision to completely discount the positive things about his leadership abilities.

There is one other issue that is a chink in Governor Perry’s armor, and that is his stance on immigration. While simply building a fence is not the solution, neither are sanctuary cities or any form of the Dream Act. While Texas’ Dream Act may not be the same as Harry Reid’s Dream Act, the fact is simple: if someone is here illegally, they are violating the law!

It will be interesting to see if all 8 candidates are still around, or if perhaps we will see any new faces in the next debate .

Senator Harry Reid is helping to reintroduce the DREAM Act – again. This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal and deportable alien students who graduate from U.S. high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. legally or illegally as minors, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment. If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning, the students would obtain temporary residency for a six year period.

Within the six year period, a qualified student must have “acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or have completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in the United States,” or have “served in the armed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, and have an honorable discharge.” Military enlistment contracts require an eight year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years. “Any alien whose permanent resident status is terminated – according to the terms of the Act – shall return to the immigration status the alien had immediately prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this Act.”

Why are some in America encouraging illegal aliens to come to the U.S.? That is what this bill does, doesn’t it? The problem we have in the United States with illegals is that we encourage them to come to America, we will give you everything you need to survive without chance of being deported. Illegal is illegal no matter how you look at it. We have laws that pertain to ALL people in the United States. When laws are broken then punishment must be administered so it won’t happen again – or at least it should not happen again.

The ‘Dream Act’ contradicts itself in its own requirements. One of the requirements in order to qualify for the ‘Dream Act’ if it were in use is, “any illegals who are of good moral character.” Good moral character, what’s that?

It is a defined legal concept in United States law that details requirements for consideration for certain benefits or positions. The term is chiefly used by the federal government in immigration law, but it can also be a requirement for a particular position of employment or licensure in a particular occupation or profession, such as admission to practice law. In order to gain U.S. citizenship through naturalization, a person must be considered of “good moral character”. While not necessarily a set of character qualities, the term describes behaviors in which the applicants could not have been involved.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services describes “good moral character” as an absence of involvement in the following activities: Conviction of Federal crimes including

Murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor

Illicit trafficking in controlled substances

Firearms, destructive devices, and explosive materials offenses

Money laundering

Crimes of violence for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year

Theft and burglary offenses for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year

Crimes involving the demand for or receipt of ransom

Crimes involving child pornography

Crimes involving a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)

A second or subsequent gambling offense for which a one-year or greater term of imprisonment may be imposed

Prostitution “managing” and transporting offenses

Crimes against the government

Offenses that jeopardize national security

Offenses that involve fraud or deceit in which the victims’ aggregate losses exceed $10,000

Tax evasion involving a government loss in excess of $10,000

Alien smuggling, except for first offenses involving attempts to enable entry by a relative of the accused

Certain offenses committed by aliens who were previously deported for having committed a crime

Passport fraud offenses with a term of imprisonment of one year or greater, except for first offenses involving attempts to enable entry by a relative of the accused

Failure to appear to serve a sentence for which the underlying offense is punishable by imprisonment for five or more years

Offenses involving commercial bribery, counterfeiting, forgery, or trafficking in vehicles with altered identification numbers with a term of imprisonment of at least one year

Offenses involving obstruction of justice, perjury, subornation of perjury, and witness tampering with a term of imprisonment of at least one year

Failure to appear in court pursuant to court order to answer to a felony charge for which a sentence of two or more years’ imprisonment may be imposed

Committing or being convicted of one or more crimes involving “moral turpitude”

Committing and being convicted of two or more offenses with a total sentence of five or more years

Being confined to a penal institution during the statutory period (either the preceding three or five years, depending on the circumstances, or one year for Armed Forces expedited cases) for an aggregate of 180 days or more

Committing and being convicted of two or more gambling offenses

Earning your principal income from gambling.

Being involved in prostitution or commercialized vice

Being involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States

Being a habitual drunkard

Practicing polygamy

Willfully failing or refusing to support dependents

Giving false testimony under oath in order to receive benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act

Crossing the border into the United States without first applying for a visa or green card is a federal crime. So how is any illegal alien qualified under the ‘Dream Acts’ own eligibility term – good moral character?

The “Dream Act’ is not needed if the United States would enforce our immigration laws. Giving amnesty to criminals is not the answer.

The question I have for the Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is. Why are you wasting senates time and our money on an already failed ‘Dream Act’? Why don’t you spend your time and our money by putting out a BUDGET?

California Governor Jerry Brown was in the news again last week, with a startling “revelation”. He declared a State of Fiscal Emergency after looking at California’s budget, as California is 25.5 billion in the red. People seem to forget that this is the exact same declaration former Governor Swarzenegger made just last month, and which the California Democratic Legislature chooses to ignore, year after year after year. This is proof positive that irresponsible voting has consequences, and in this case disastrous ones. Dreaming of a liberal utopia where everything is free,while fiscal responsibility is non-existent, is more an act of childish ignorance instead of a responsible State government. It is also ridiculous when Liberals try to blame their fiscal insanity on Republicans, considering the fact that Republicans haven’t controlled the California Legislature since the 1950’s.*

While California’s looming bankruptcy is the culmination of decades of fiscal irresponsibility and the general incompetence of their Democratic officials, there are main causes of this problem that must be identified. Union pensions play a very big part and high taxation has also proven to drive businesses out. These two are obvious examples of causes of the impending bankruptcy of California. There is a semi-hidden cause that few people seem to want to acknowledge here that just astounds me.

In hosting America’s largest population of illegal immigrants, California bears a huge cost to provide basic human services for this fast growing, low-income segment of its population. A new study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examines the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, and concludes that the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year.

“California’s addiction to ‘cheap’ illegal alien labor is bankrupting the state and posing enormous burdens on the state’s shrinking middle class tax base,” stated Dan Stein, President of FAIR. “Most Californians, who have seen their taxes increase while public services deteriorate, already know the impact that mass illegal immigration is having on their communities, but even they may be shocked when they learn just how much of a drain illegal immigration has become.

In discovering the massive cost liabilities of Illegal immigrants in California, why would they continue down this path towards economic destruction? Surely they don’t think the rest of the country will be willing to bail them out with Federal taxpayer funds? The reality of the situation is that this isn’t anything about a “Dream.” Dreams are based in pleasant thoughts. This is a nightmare. Here is some truth in Liberal California Dreamin about the Dream Act:

1. The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children, And It Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans2. The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application

3.Certain Criminal Aliens Will Be Eligible For Amnesty Under The DREAM Act

4. Estimates Suggest That At Least 2.1 Million Illegal Aliens Will Be Eligible For the DREAM Act Amnesty. In Reality, We Have No Idea How Many Illegal Aliens Will Apply

5. Illegal Aliens Will Get In-State Tuition Benefits

6. The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree (Vocational, Two-Year, or Bachelor’s Degree) As A Condition of Amnesty

7. The DREAM Act does not require that an illegal alien serve in the military as a condition for amnesty, and There is ALREADY A Legal Process In Place For Illegal Aliens to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service

8. Despite Their Current Illegal Status, DREAM Act Aliens Will Be Given All The Rights That Legal Immigrants Receive—Including The Legal Right To Sponsor Their Parents and Extended Family Members For Immigration

9. Current Illegal Aliens Will Get Federal Student Loans, Federal Work Study Programs, and Other Forms of Federal Financial Aid

10. DHS Is Prohibited From Using the Information Provided By Illegal Aliens Whose DREAM Act Amnesty Applications Are Denied To Initiate Their Removal Proceedings or Investigate or Prosecute Fraud in the Application Process